Joseph Stalin, On 23 February 1944 ordered the deportation of the entire Chechen and Ingush population to Central Asia. More than half of the 500,000 people who were forcibly transported died in transit or in massacres committed by Soviet troops. Those who survived the journey were left facing starvation and disease in the harsh winters of Siberia and Central Asia .

Within days an entire people had been erased from the land of their ancestors. Overnight Chechnya and Ingushetia were emptied of their native inhabitants, and every reference to Chechnya was removed from official maps, records and encyclopaedias.

On 26 February 2004, sixty years after the atrocity, the European Parliament passed a motion that recognised this tragedy as Genocide. Actress and campaigner Vanessa Redgrave when speaking about this sad episode in history has said; "The Kremlin's Genocide of Chechen people has been accepted by Europeans leaders to the shame of us all."

On the afternoon of Friday 23rd February 2007, the Save Chechnya Campaign at the Yalta memorial at Cromwell Gardens, South Kensington, is joining with individuals and organisations around the world to commemorate World Chechnya Day to commemorate the victims of Stalin's deportation of the Chechen people in 1944. In 2004, the European Parliament passed a motion recognising the atrocity as Genocide.

With regards to Friday's event the Save Chechnya Campaign Director Saida Sheriff said: "World Chechnya Day commemorates one of the untold stories of the Second World War; the complete annihilation of the Chechen people."

Seven years prior to the launch of a second Russian military campaign in Chechnya, it is still too dangerous for journalists to travel to this region, where numerous "anti-terrorist operations" are being carried out. 

Chechnya continues to be plagued by abductions, torture, killings and other violations. Tatiana Lokshina, head of Demos, a Moscow-based human rights think tank became the focus of worldwide media attention when she went on record to say that the people of Chechnya continue to be victims of torture, killings and abductions. According to Lokshina he statistics were obtained by analysing data provided by several human rights groups operating in Chechnya Demos pointed out in a thirteen page report that anything between Some 3,000 to 5,000 people have been victims of abduction since the the beginning of the region's second post-Soviet war in 1999, mostly by Russian forces or local allies. Some 3,000 to 5,000 people have been abducted since the start of the region's second post-Soviet war in 1999, mostly by federal forces or their local allies, Demos said in the 13-page report. Most abductions took place in Chechnya, but some in neighboring provinces such as Ingushetia.

Vadim Rechkalov, a frequent visitor to Chechnya, reports that Grozny  remains a dangerous city of ruins. Reconstruction has taken place on a very limited scale and the sewerage system has still not been restored. However, residents are now able to buy water from trucks at 50-80 kopecks a bucket.

According to Holly Carter, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch,  "If you are detained in Chechnya, you face a real and immediate risk of torture. And there is little chance that your torturer will be held accountable." 

In research missions conducted in April and September of 2006, Human Rights Watch, an independent, non-governmental organisation, supported by contributions from private individuals and foundations worldwide, documented 82 cases in which Kadyrov’s forces detained and tortured people, most of them in unlawful detention facilities. Researchers also obtained detailed descriptions of at least 10 such facilities, most of which are private houses owned or used by regional commanders loyal to the late Akhmad Kadyrov. Things look even bleaker with the elevation of Ramzan Kadyrov, (the son of the former President) from acting prime Minister to President of the war ravaged Russian republic. Kadyrov is believed to have a shocking human rights record.

In an unprecedented shake-up, Putin has also promoted Sergei Ivanov to the post of first deputy prime minister. Ivanov has claimed that what Moscow’s efforts against the resistance in Chechnya "international terrorism," not "local terrorism," because "local terrorism now, in the global world, simply doesn't exist."

After relieving Ivanov of his duties as defence minister, Putin has appointed in his place Anatoly Serdyukov, the Federal Tax Service chief who drew up the multibillion-dollar tax bills against Yukos that ultimately led to the oil giant's demise.

World Chechnya Day is an event to raise awareness and understanding of the Chechen genocide as an issue of importance to humanity, to ensure that the horrendous crimes, racism and victimisation that were committed during the Chechen genocide will never be forgotten or repeated, in Europe or elsewhere in the world.  Let us all respect the victims of Stalin's deportations and recognise the suffering and genocide of the people of Chechnia as a human catastrophe of historic significance. This is also an opportunity to reflect on contemporary atrocities all around the world that raise similar issues and also an avenue to educating subsequent generations about the genocide and the continued relevance of the lessons that can be learnt from it.

www.worldchechnyaday.org